Ever at the edge of innovation in a category selling ephemeral beauty, over the years France-based L’Oréal brand has developed breakthrough products such as Episkin, a reconstructed skin model as an alternative to animal testing and more closely replicating human results. The company is the No. 1 nanotechnology patent-holder in the US, with 497 filed in 2015. Its use of nanotechnology and nanomaterials is applied to moisturizers, hair care products and sunscreen.